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On May 9, Vladimir Putin marked Russia's Victory Day in World War II by ... celebrating the invasion of Ukraine.
Putin has co-opted triumph against the Nazis to justify his aggression by claiming a delusional Nazi threat in Ukraine to justify the war. But this is nothing new.
Indeed, former Finnish PM Alexander Stubb says Russia never really moved on from World War II, relying on the narrative that "the rest of the world is out to get us" to drum up patriotic sentiment.
Talk about self-fulfilling prophecies: Finland and Sweden are about to join NATO, the West has responded swiftly with billions of dollars and weapons for Ukraine on top of tough sanctions against Russia, and some now want more than just a Russian withdrawal.
Russia, for its part, sees this as being under attack from NATO — and that's where the real danger is.
The goal of the West cannot and should not be the destruction of Russia’s military, because that’ll unleash World War III.
Watch the GZERO World episode: Beginning of Putin's end